Carl Willis

Network Marketing Prospecting Mistakes You Should Avoid

Network Marketing Prospecting Mistakes You Should

Network marketing prospecting is a core skill that needs to be mastered by anyone who is seriously seeking to build a long term, profitable business.   Learning how to become an effective marketer is critical if you are going to be counted among those that actually make any money in an MLM business.   Sadly, most distributors are given very little marketing guidance by their upline, beyond the standard:  “Go make a list of 100 people you know and invite them to hear about your opportunity.”    This leaves most network marketers in a black hole of trying to figure things out on their own.  It is in this unfocused groping that most network marketing prospecting mistakes are made.  Unfortunately, if you stay this course you will not only alienate your offline friends, but you will find very few friends either.

Examples Of Poor Network Marketing Prospecting

When it comes to network marketing prospecting there are examples to follow and examples to quickly forget.   I want to spend some time discussing the latter in hopes of saving you a great deal of wasted time and large quantities of rejection.   I think the best place to start is the time hated offline tradition of the “old friend ambush.”   You know this one, a friend who you haven’t heard from in years calls you up out of the blue and asks something along these lines:  “Do you have some time we could get together this week, I really need to speak with you.”   When you inquire about the nature of the request, they tell you that they can’t really go into details right now, but they have something they know you are going to like.   You of course ask:  “Is this like Amway or one of those kind of deals?”  Your old friend says they will tell you more when you get together.    Needless to say this alienates the marketer further from their old friend and quickly word gets around that you are pushing one of those “pyramid scheme things.”   The end result is no one takes your call and friends turn the other way when they see you coming.

Now let’s move our attention from that horrific example of network marketing prospecting to its ugly cousins.   The internet is a wonderful place, because of the leverage it affords to a business owner.   Unfortunately just like “The Force” there is good side and a dark side to this picture.    I want to draw your attention to the dark side, in hopes that you will not become the Sith Lord of lousy prospecting.

The first example to deals with email solicitations.   These are the emails that look something like this:  “Hi my name is _________ and I have just come across the most amazing opportunity.  I immediately thought of you and know that you will not want to miss out on this chance of a lifetime.    The email is ended with a hyperlink that points to someone’s replicated affiliate or MLM website.     I get a double whammy of these, not only do people email me, but they also use the “contact me” form to send the same kind of nonsense.    Unfortunately for them the response is never what they hoped for.  I always remind them, that they have not built a relationship with me and that they have not proven to me that the know squat about building a business.    Interestingly enough, many of these folks change opportunities like most people change underwear.

The next glaring network marketing prospecting mistake is most often seen in the realm of social media.   This is the “I can’t post anything else but a link to my business opportunity.”    The only difference between this person and the person above is their ability to condense spam in to 140 characters or less.  Users of Facebook and Twitter are the worst offenders with this one.

Network Marketing Prospecting That Attracts People To You

As I talked about in my last post, people are drawn to leaders who provide value to the marketplace.   To be effective in your network marketing prospecting whether or offline, it is imperative that you present value in all of your marketing efforts.   The most effective prospecting is accomplished when you are scratching the itch of your potential customer.   When you are able to answer the questions that your prospect has in their mind, you immediately become a trusted resource for your niche market.    When you make this transition, your presentation of products and business opportunity are simply made as a recommendation from a trusted friend.